


Hey beast.

by fila



Category: papaangus
Genre: F/M, and the rest of youuuu, angus is cute, but yeah i like you btw, cutie cutie cutie, especially your brainnn, fanfic right ok, i get to write whatever i want here, i lovee yourr faceeee, idk brains are kinda yikes, not physically, okay what was i doing, well kind of i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 16:30:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15912024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fila/pseuds/fila
Summary: WOO. More space where I can write whatever I want. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist. Angus is the cutest person to ever exist.





	Hey beast.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angus cutiemccute](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=angus+cutiemccute).



> Hey, I know you’re going to be reading this. Hi. It was kind of hard to come up with ideas for what to write this about. It’s not like we have a major plot, nobody gets superpowers, no secret siblings or life and death situations. Mr Lambert said to me once, that a truly good writer is able to write about the uninteresting, the everyday, and make it as riveting as all the superpowers, the extraterrestrial. I agree with that. I also agree with the fact I am not a truly good writer. I thought it’d be pretty funny to rewrite my first fanfiction with us instead, so that’s where this plot comes from. So if the plot seems a little sporadic, it’s all from a 10 year old girls’ Minecraft youtuber fanfiction. Don’t worry I’m not going to make you a Minecraft Youtuber. I’m not that mean. I would make you an epic overwatch twitch streamer, but I know barely anything about the game so I wouldn’t be able to write much about. Welcome to your new identity as a very popular League player. You make me so unbelievably happy, babe. love you xx.
> 
> Edit: oh my god I’m reading the fic back and this is perfect, the main character is 16. Why did I make her so young for like 20 year old youtubers? Yikes.
> 
> Edit 2: Why does a 16 year old live alone??? I guess that’s okay for me because I don’t really want to write about either of our parents. Congratulations on the apartment you now own.
> 
> Edit 3: I know a lot of this is going to sound pretty narcissistic. I know. But I can’t change that without changing the plot and I really want to use the plot from my year 6 fanfiction, so just bear with me.
> 
> Edit 4: Things you say also won’t sound like things you’d say. Sorry. I can’t make you talk like angus but make you say what I need your character to say at the same time. Edit 8: hah actually i surprise myself and can predict what you say i’m a god
> 
> Edit 5: I didn’t actually need you to make a playlist, I needed it for a plot point from the original fic. It doesn’t work unless you’re familiar with the songs. Now I have to work to replace that with something else ;-;
> 
> Edit 6: it is so difficult to write people playing video games. In the og fic I just put “after de recording” no joke. But I see why aah.
> 
> Edit 7: the last scene was HORRIBLE to write. I am so uncomfortable. Not that I don’t like it, it’s just sososo bad to write on paper sfkjsefohfebjfsenfesosijosefoihsefoihsefhoefsjbu
> 
> Edit 9: there’s been so many edits now I want to remind you I love you okay keep reading now

 

I was 10 when I got interested in video games. On my prized possession, my iPod Touch Gen 6 (the first generation with a  _ front facing camera, wow! _ ) I had been browsing the top play store apps, and came across Minecraft Pocket edition free version. I loved it. It even had a multiplayer, which was pretty impressive for a demo. Me and my friends would build tall buildings of rainbow wool, then jump off the top when it was night and zombies started to spawn, so we wouldn’t have to fight them. A little morbid, sure. But safe to say, I was enthralled. I spent the solid $5 on the full Minecraft app, then, when I was browsing Minecraft videos on youtube, I discovered the full PC version. It had  _ way _ more shit, and my little 10 year old self lusted after it. I spent my Chinese New Year’s money on an account, and played it on the family computer. 

 

It was down the rabbit hole from there, I started playing Minecraft all the time with my school friends, and then TF2, then everything and everything that caught my eye. I delivered newspapers for a year to afford my own laptop. Sometime in Year 11 I picked up League of Legends, played a few games by myself, got bored and moved on. 

 

A friend later noticed the icon on my desktop, and asked if I played, I told him “no”, but that didn’t stop him from calling my cell phone - in the middle of studying one night - to ask if I wanted to play a game with him and a few of his friends. After that point I kept playing. 

 

Somewhere along the line, I started streaming to Twitch. Easy to say, I wasn’t very good at all when I started. Shy, nervous and pretty uninteresting. I had a pretty crappy setup too, not to mention I was pretty freaking bad at video games. At some mysterious point, though, miraculously, I started to pick up a following. Slowly my one or two regulars became ten or twenty, then one hundred or two hundred, until I was regularly pulling thousands of viewers from all corners of the internet. 

 

I was looking to move out of my current flat and into my own apartment soon, so I didn’t have to think about roommates coming and going, and keeping them up at night. I don’t think they appreciated my late-night streaming. I wouldn’t have, either. Imagine living with like, Tyler1. That would suck. I’d like to pride myself in being  _ somewhat  _ more restrained then him, though.

 

Saturdays, like today, I streamed late. My roommates were normally out, people were normally looking to watch, it was a peak time. Saturday streams were something of a regular habit to me. So just like every other Saturday, I was expecting a normal night, not the start of anything new. 

 

Queuing solo, support as always, I had an uneventful first game. We lost, but I’d call it a warm up, and a garbage ADC. I’d like to think I played well, even if I was just the e-girl support. 

 

I queued another game, making mindless chatter to the chat. Replied to a couple of discord messages, nothing crazy. It was my luck that when I got into champion select, who was my ADC other than the one, the only, papangus.  _ The _ most popular league streamer, and a talented player. I wasn’t surprised he was streaming too at this time, it was peak viewing time. In fact, maybe it would be beneficial to the both of us if we were streaming together… I had his discord anyway, never talked to him before, but streamers gotta stick together, y’know. I shot him a message. 

 

_ wanna vc? _

 

He was quick to reply, locking in Caitlyn before messaging back,  _ Sure. I hope you aren’t feeling toxic today.  _

 

That’s pretty funny, coming from him. I’m sure clips of him being toxic had made far bigger splashes the I ever had. I hit the call button, hearing it ring for a couple of seconds before he picked up. 

 

“Hewwo?” His voice sounded exactly like his stream. I don’t really know what I expected. 

 

“Hewwo.” 

 

I watched my chat fly by as watcher realized what was going on. I would never have dreamed of playing with someone I looked up to as much as papaangus. At least, not so out of the blue. Maybe in like, a few years, when I undoubtedly become good at the game finally (not.)

 

“Is this a Soraka game?,” he asked.

 

How did he know who I mained? There’s no chance… papaangus watched my streams?!? 

 

“Uh… yeah I guess.” I blushed, hoping it wouldn’t pick up in my facecam. I would never hear the end of this if it did. I could see it now. “ _ Random E-girl Twitch streamer falls hopelessly in love with papaangus after like 2 words.”  _ I tried to suppress any emotion from my face. I probably just looked like I needed to sneeze. 

 

It was safe to say I tryhard-ed  _ a little _ that game. Who wouldn't? You don’t just play a game  _ with papaangus on your team,  _ not to mention  _ in lane with you _ , not to mention _ in a freaking call with you;  _ without trying to play a  _ little  _ better. As the victory text flashed across the screen we congratulated each other. 

 

“Virtual high five!” His hand made a dull  _ plonk _ on the microphone. 

 

I laughed along and gave my own mic a punch. 

 

“So what do you say we queue another one?” 

 

_ What. Papaangus not only played one game with me, but found me tolerable enough to want to play another?!? I think I’m going to faint on stream.  _

 

“Absolutely! Dream team.” I accepted his friend invite. 

 

_ Even if we never played again, I’d have him in my friendslist. The one and only papaangus. Win.  _

 

As we queued, I opened his stream on my phone, volume at 0 so nobody would know I was looking. He had a facecam in the corner. 

 

_ Holy shit, he was cute.  _

 

Floppy, brown hair that fell in beachy waves over his forehead. Gorgeous blue eyes framed with thick eyelashes. His lips had a doll-like pout to them. I tore my eyes away from my phone screen and switched my phone off again as we found a match. 

 

“Is this a Kog’Maw game?” I smirked. 

 

He was silent for a second, I could feel him thinking through the screen. “Yes. It is. If you play Lulu.” 

 

“Deal” I locked in Lulu. We were literally the dream lane. Up against a Vel’koz, and Jinx, the game flew by as we made jokes about Lulu vs tentacles. After the first game, I was still playing better than I normally did, but it was easier to joke and mess around with him. The game was over all too soon. 

 

We wished each other goodbye, and I signed off for the night. I hoped nobody would notice how  _ distracted _ I felt. Like some kind of zombie cosplaying a human. My mind was ticking as I switched off my computer, brushed my teeth and changed into pajamas with my head in the clouds. I couldn’t stop myself from watching his old twitch VODs on my phone that night. I’d never seen his facecam before tonight, and suffice to say, I was enchanted. 

 

_ Would it be weird to set a picture of him as my phone background? Probably.  _

 

_ “Bzzzz _ .“

 

My phone buzzed in my hand. Think of the devil. A discord message from the man himself. 

 

_ Had fun today, want to queue again tomorrow?  _

 

_ can’t sorry, i’m moving to my new apartment. only had my computers n stuff out for tonight. mayb another day. _

 

_ Oh :< _

_ Shoot me a msg when you’re free. _

 

_ oki :^) _

 

I switched my phone off, smiling like an idiot into my dark room. How early was too early to say I had a crush?

 

***

 

The next few days were a flurry of activity. Putting all my shit into boxes, then my boxes into trucks, flying for hours to get to my empty apartment, all my shit still in the boxes that now decorated the front room. It was safe to say my fleeting crush had only surfaced in my mind for the barest of seconds after that night. That was, until I was finally spending the night in my apartment. 

 

I didn’t have all my stuff unpacked, and it felt cold and empty in my new bedroom. Tossing and turning in bed, switching my phone on to check Instagram every few minutes before switching it off again. That’s when I heard it. A voice, through the walls. Slightly muffled, sure, but I swore I recognised it. 

 

“Mmfhhsh mmhhfhf” 

 

I couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. I put my ear to the wall. 

 

“Mmfmsshmm mmshsm ULT SORAKA” 

 

I whipped my head away at the unexpected yelling. No doubt, though, that my new neighbor had at least one trait similar to  _ him…  _ I opened twitch on my phone. Live: papangus. I clicked on his stream. Perfect timing to watch him die, enemy health minimal and Soraka ult unused. 

 

_ No freaking way.  _

 

I was not religious. I’d believed in wishes, shooting stars, 11:11, the whole nine yards when I was younger, and sometimes I still entertained myself with the thought, but right now, more than ever, I’d like to say I believed in fate. There was a literally 0% chance I’d move in next to the super-attractive league streamer I’d been drooling over just days ago. What better reason was there for such good luck? 

 

Switching my phone off, and dropping it beside my bed, I finally closed my eyes, smiling up at my ceiling through the darkness. 

 

***

 

I was excited to play with Angus again. And nervous. What was I going to say about the whole neighbor thing?  _ “Oh heyy I live next to you now. And I recognized your voice through the walls even though I’ve only known you for like two days. _ ” Yeah, nope. 

When he offered for us to just play without the twitch streams, I was more than willing. If I was going to say anything, it would be easier without an audience. 

 

His name popped up on my screen as he called me. 

 

“Hewwo?” 

 

“Hewwo.” I replied. 

 

My icon didn’t light up with the little green circle and I was scared he hadn’t heard me. How rude would it be to join the call and just say nothing. I readjusted my mic to be closer to my face. 

 

_ Do I talk again?  _

 

_ What if he already heard me?  _

 

_ I didn’t want to sound crazy, repeating myself?  _

 

_ But what if he didn’t hear me and I appeared rude?  _

 

He cut off my panicked thoughts. “Are we playing the dream lane again today?” 

 

“Sure.” I so desperately wanted to ask him about the whole neighbor thing. 

 

Curiosity won out. “Hey, I don’t mean to pry, but have you gotten some new neighbors recently?” I bit my tongue, hoping I hadn't been too forward. 

 

“Yeah, actually. Can you hear them? Sorry, I heard them moving their stuff in yesterday but I thought they’d be done by today.” 

 

I said nothing, not wanting to lie but letting him lay down the excuses for me. Maybe this was ok. He would be none the wiser. I guess it was only so long until we bumped into each other around the apartment, though. Unless I became a stupidly nocturnal creature, only leaving my apartment in the dead of night. Yeah, that could work. Not. Why couldn’t I just say what was going through my head like a normal person? I was digging myself into a deeper hole not telling him, I knew, but some stupid fear kept me from piping up.

 

***

 

We had challenged each other to a 1v1. He had kindly offered to play Soraka, which was definitely giving me an advantage, but still, I had literally no chance of winning. We’d picked the same runes, same items, so it was all down to skill, except… well.. I don’t have any skill. 

 

Agreeing to this was probably a bad idea, not to mention the fact he was  _ papaangus _ . But if it gave us time to play together, I’d do it. Even if I was going to get totally destroyed. 

 

“Ready to get soy-baka’d?” 

 

I could hear his smile in his words. 

 

“No...” I put on a faux scared voice. 

 

To be honest, if he just had a picture of his face in front of me I easily would have lost, because I’d just be staring at him. 

 

We both CS’d, trying to land Q’s on each other. 

 

“So what do I get if I win?” I asked, knowing full well I would not be winning this. 

 

“Hmm… Let’s say, if you win, you can dare me to do anything  _ in reason _ . And vice versa.” 

 

“I sure hope we define  _ in reason _ the same way.” 

 

He chuckled. 

 

I turned my attention back to the game. It wasn’t going very well for me. I was already half health, while he was near full. I made a stupid move, walking forwards to land a q, which he took full advantage of. E, Q, AA, and I was no more than 20 health under my tower. Flash, and… nothing? His character stood frozen under tower, tanking shots until he died. His voice was silent over the call. 

 

“Hello? Are you okay?” 

 

No reply. 

 

_ Boowoop.  _ His account left the call. 

 

_ Did his internet drop out or something? _

 

_ Boodoop. _ His little circle icon reappeared on my screen. 

 

“Sorry, my internet cut out.” 

 

“Ah, yeah, guessed as much. Do you want to rematch then?” 

 

“No, it’s okay, let’s call this a win for you.”

 

“No, What? You were going to win that!” 

 

“But I didn’t. Look, I died first! So you won.” 

 

“I don't think that counts…”

 

“Well I’m making it count. What’s your dare?” 

 

No way he was letting me win. I hadn’t even bothered to think of a dare for him. What did I really want him to do? There  _ was  _ something weighing on my mind, and I guess if I didn’t say anything now, it’d be another million years before I had the courage, sending him a sporadic message in the middle of the night or something like an idiot… 

 

“I dare you… to go over to your new neighbors’ and tell them, “Hey beast, you lookin’ like a snacc.”” 

 

“What? Okay.” He laughed. “What if they’re not home?” 

 

“I bet they are. Look, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” 

 

“Fine, but I haven’t met them yet, so if it’s some poor elderly man I am going to feel so uncomfortable and it’s all going to be your fault.” 

 

“Understandable.” I smiled. 

 

“Okay, I’ll do it now. I’m going to have to hang up. I’ll record this on my phone for you to know that I didn’t chicken out.” 

 

_ No need,  _

I thought. 

 

“Good luck.” 

 

“I won’t need it... I hope.” He hung up, leaving me in silence. 

 

I exited the call as well and closed the game. 

 

_ It wouldn’t hurt to make sure I looked okay. _

 

I peered into the bathroom mirror. 

 

_ My hair is a mess. _

 

I ran my hands over the bump where my headphones’d been sitting. 

 

“ _ Knock, knock, knock.”  _

 

Far out. I guess this was going to have to do. 

 

I half-walked, half-jogged to the door, stopping in front of it with my hand on the doorknob. 

 

_ Deep breath. _

 

I swung the door open. 

 

“Hey beast, you looking like a… snacc?” His face went from a grin to a look of confusion. “Ria?” 

 

I gave him a tentative smile. 

 

“Wait, how’d you?...” He glanced over my shoulder into my apartment. “Do you know my new neighbors?” 

 

I shook my head. “I  _ am  _ your new neighbors.” 

 

His eyes went wide with surprise. “Oh!” 

 

We stood silently. This was a little more awkward than expected. 

 

“Did you… plan this?” 

 

“N-No!” I blushed. Of course. Now he thought I was a creeper. I should have seen this coming. “I didn’t know, I just moved in, and heard your voice through the walls one night…” I cringed at myself. Now he was going to know I could recognize his voice. Creeper, much. 

 

I watched him switch his phone off in his hand. 

 

“I guess I don’t need this then.” 

 

“How long have you known I lived next door?” 

 

“Since I moved in.” 

 

“You should have told me. I could have brought a welcoming… cake. I don’t know. I’d consider myself an okay baker. I’ve baked with my mom before. A solid 6/10.” 

 

“As much as I’d like to see your baking ability, I think this was infinitely more hilarious.” We shared a quick smile. 

 

I watched his eyes, his heavenly, heavenly eyes wander back to my front room. “I would say I could’ve helped you unpack, but it looks like that offer still stands.” He said, eyeing the unpacked boxes that littered my front room. 

 

I blushed, and shifted my body to try and block his view. “It’s no problem, really.” 

 

“Nah, I’m free anyway. What’d’ya say I come over tomorrow?” 

 

“O-okay, thanks a lot” 

 

“My pleasure. I’ll always go out of my way to help snaccs like you.”

 

“Sh-shut up!” I started to close the door in his face. 

 

He laughed and stuck his foot in the door. “Just send me a message when you’re ready.” 

 

I gave a stubborn nod, blushing and staring down at the floor. He moved his foot and I pushed the door closed. 

 

_ Baka. _

 

***

 

The next morning, after dreams filled with piercing blue eyes and beachy waves, I awoke stomach filled with butterflies. 

 

_ Papaangus was coming over today _ . 

 

I took extra care to make my bed neat, smoothing out the covers and fluffing up the pillows, like I never normally did. Not that I didn’t care about neatness, but if I was just going to flop back into bed at the end of the day, and mess it all up again, what was the point? But I was  _ not _ letting a boy as cute as Angus see my tangled bedsheets the very first time he comes into my apartment.

 

I picked up discarded clothes off the ground, folding them into neat piles before tucking them into my near-empty dresser. I had only gotten out the clothes I needed from the boxes, so there were still plenty of things tucked away I still would have to find and put away in their rightful places. 

 

When my room was presentable enough, I headed into the bathroom to clean myself up. I won’t admit to how much time I spent in there, doing my hair and makeup just for unpacking my apartment. It’s not like I liked him or anything. Baka. When he finally came around, I had already worked myself into such a state of nervousness thinking about him, I was sure if he just accidently bumped into me or something, I would explode. 

 

His knock at the door was already enough to make my heart race. 

 

I tugged my hair back into place before answering the door. ‘

 

“Hey.” 

 

_ Oh my god.  _

 

He was wearing a T-shirt that exposed his arms, and my god, they were amazing. Lightly muscular and shapely. 

 

I swallowed and tore my eyes away from his arms to look him the eyes. “Hey! Come in.” 

 

I lead him into my living space. 

 

“Nice place you’ve got here,” he said to the piles of empty boxes and bare walls. 

 

“Shut up.” I punched him lightly on the arm.  _ Maybe _ just to touch his fucking gorgeous arms.  _ Maybe.  _

 

“Where should we start?” 

 

“Well, the boxes are all labeled,” I looked around at the hastily scrawled labels, “maybe the kitchen would be a good place to start.” 

 

“Sure.” He found a box labelled “Kitchen” and lifted it towards the kitchen. 

 

“Wait, how do you know where my kitchen is?” 

 

“I’m your neighbor. Same apartment layout, remember?” He called from the kitchen. 

 

“Oh yeah.” I dragged another box in, and folded back the cardboard top. 

 

Inside, was dishware carefully wrapped in layers of wax paper and bubble-wrap. Angus was already laying my cutlery in the drawers. We worked in silence until he finished, and came to help me unwrap each plate and bowl, and tuck them into the cabinets. 

 

I liked watching the way he moved. His hands had a deft confidence, not twitchy and fumbling like my own. On the inside of one of his palms, he had two spots - freckles, moles, I don’t know- but they winked like two eyes of a smile. I desperately just wanted to draw a big smiley mouth under them. 

 

“What’s your favourite colour?” 

 

“Huh?” I looked up at him. “Where'd that come from?” 

 

He shrugged. “Just curious.” 

 

I paused to think a second. “Pink. You?” 

 

“Blue.” 

 

I watched him reach for another paper-wrapped plate to put away. “Why do you ask?” 

 

“I just, wanted to know more about my new neighbor.” 

 

Wow. Papaangus wanted to know more about me? 

 

“What’s your favourite animal?” 

 

“Cats I guess. And quails. Have you seen quails? Little fat feathered jelly beans that waddle away from you if you chase them. What’s not to love?” I looked up at him for his answer. 

 

“I used to hella like penguins” 

 

I nodded. I wouldn’t’ve taken someone like Angus as liking penguins. Maybe they just stuck out as more cartoony, more cutesy than how I saw him. I suppose it was sweet, though. I bit back a smile. 

 

“I think this is all your kitchen things. Unless there was another box?” 

 

“No, this is it.” I stood and dusted off my knees. I turned to look out the doorway to the piles of boxes yet to unpack. “Urghhh, I don’t want to do any more of this.” 

 

He laughed. “Do you want to take a break and come back to it?” 

 

“Yeah. Anything but this” I stretched my arms out over my head. 

 

“How ‘bout we take a walk?,” he suggested.

 

“Sure. I don’t really know my way around here yet though.” 

 

“That’s okay. I know these streets like the back of my hand,” He jokingly peered at the backs of his hands.

 

I laughed and shook my head at his antics. “Let me grab a jacket.” 

 

I ducked into my bedroom to find a jumper. 

 

“Can we stop by my place too?” 

 

I nodded. 

 

Locking my door behind me, I let him lead me into his apartment. He was right, the layout was exactly like mine. From the front room, I could see that the room where his computer was situated was directly against where my bedroom was. That would explain why I could hear him through the walls but he never seemed to hear me. 

 

His apartment was neat. Unlike mine, with boxes strewn across the floor; he had a practical style of decorating, with an undeniable sense of functionality and comfort. I watched him open the door to his room. He had more things, in there. Bird whistles and deodorant on a dresser. Wooden letters spelling out “G-U-S-A-N” 

 

I quickly looked away as he left the room, not wanting to be caught spying. 

 

“Okay, let’s get going then.” he said, pulling a jacket over his arms. 

 

I kind of wished he didn’t, ‘cause I really liked seeing his arms. But I was not about to tell him that. I nodded and fell into pace behind him, letting him lead me out of the building and outside. Wind pushed my hair across my face. I came into step beside him, tucking my hair behind my ears. 

 

“So what are you like, y’know, in real life? How would you describe yourself?” I asked him, curious. 

 

His brows creased slightly as he thought. “Describe myself? Who describes themselves?” 

 

“Just give it your best shot.” 

 

“Okay, then… I don’t know.. I guess I try to make jokes and have fun, but I can be serious too.” 

 

I let his answer sit for a few seconds. 

 

“And you?” 

 

I saw him glance at me through the corner of my eye. “Two words. Litty. Fam.” 

 

He rolled his eyes at my response. “I answered you seriously. You don’t get off the hook that easily.” 

 

“Fine, fine. I guess I’m kind of a shy, smart stereotype. I’d like to think I’m easy-going around the people I’m comfortable with.” 

 

He nodded, and we walked further in comfortable silence. 

 

I watched sparrows flutter out of our way as we trekked past. “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” 

 

I shoved my hands in my pockets. 

 

“I think I’ll go with a dolphin. They’re pretty chill. You?” 

 

“It wouldn’t be so bad being a beaver, y’know? Did you know beavers have iron in their teeth?” 

 

“Oh, really?” He looked like he was remembering something. 

 

I looked back at our feet. We had fallen into the same rhythm. 

 

“Where are we going, anyway?” 

 

“I don’t know, just wandering. There’s a park right… around… here.” We stopped, watching some kids running around. I looked up at him, watching him watch them. His hair ruffled in the wind. I liked the way it looked, messy. 

 

“Angus?,” I asked. 

 

He turned to face me. “What’s up?” He had a small half smile playing on his lips. 

 

“Why are you doing this for me?” 

 

He cocked his head to the side. “I told you, I’ll always go out of my way to help snaccs like you.” He grinned at me. 

 

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously.” 

 

His smile dropped, and his face had an earnest, sombre air. He surprised me, taking my hands in each of his. I looked up to meet his eyes. 

 

“Because I really like you.” 

 

I freed my right hand to tuck my wild hair behind my ear. “You don’t mean that.” 

 

“I do.” He lifted my chin to meet his eyes again. 

 

His hand tucked the still loose hair behind my left ear, fingers trailing across my cheek. His face was inches from mine. 

 

“Can I show you?” he whispered, barely audible. 

 

I gave a tiny nod. 

 

He gently pressed his lips to mine. His mouth was warm and soft, and tasted sweet, like ice-blocks. 

 

We pulled away, smiling nervously. 

 

“Believe me now?” He traced his hand along my jawline. 

 

“I think I might need a little more convincing.” I smiled teasingly back at him, tucking my hands along his waist. 

 

“I think I’m okay with that,” he smiled, pulling me close.

  
  



End file.
